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Thank You, Nurses

I don’t think it’s a coincidence, that so recently after Benjamin’s latest hospital stay, I read this post by a nurse blogger I’ve come to respect…

In light of that, I want to share how much the nurses meant during our last hospital stay.

(Quick Background: We spent New Year’s Eve in the Emergency Room in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, then were transferred to Hershey so that Benjamin could be admitted.)

We had three nurses throughout the course of our stay- the day nurse, Lauren, and two night nurses, Katie and Beth. Each of them, in their own way, made me feel at home.

Lauren, our day nurse, answered our questions and explained details to help us understand why certain things were being done. I really appreciate that.

I’ve had certain medical professionals (only a few), who walk in, tell me something about our health, then walk out and don’t explain anything. I’m thankful for the majority, who have not done that. I felt that as a nurse, Lauren went out of her way to explain things to us.

On the last day there, Lauren told us that she prays for her patients when she goes home. How encouraging.

She said that the first night Benjamin was in the hospital, they were considering moving him to ICU to put him on the vent. At the time, we knew he was in bad shape, but we didn’t know how bad. That first night, Lauren had told us that they were decreasing his oxygen halfway, to see how he would do.

The day we were discharged, she told us that she had been really nervous about carrying out that decision, that she prayed for us when she went home, and she was so excited to see that he had improved when she came back.

Then there was the first night nurse Katie.

Honestly, I don’t remember exactly what it was about her that I liked (I was half-asleep), but I remember that she made me feel at ease with the fact she was caring for my baby that night.

And the last night nurse, Beth.

The minute she walked in, she brightened the room. She talked to Benjamin and played with him like he was her own son. She made him smile while she checked his vitals (granted, no one could make him smile the first day). Later I found out she had a teenage son, and that she’s had some very hard times herself.

I’ve learned a few things throughout our hospital stays:

1) The nurses are the ones who are with you throughout the day/night; the ones who do everything you need – from setting up the IV’s/oxygen and giving medicine to bringing you extra blankets, and replacing leads because the baby pulled them off – again. Honesty, they do more than they should have to do (we can get ourselves water and tissues, we just need to know where they are).

2) Some nurses make you more comfortable than others. But if you’re kind to them, sometimes you’ll make friends even with those who don’t seem as friendly at first. After all, there may be cultural differences, plus you never know what other stresses they’re dealing with.

3) They work harder than you’ll ever know, until you spend some time in a hospital. Even then, we probably see half of what they do.

So to all my nurse friends, and the nurses out there who work hard every day, receiving more complaints than thanks-

your job does make a difference. And I want to thank you for what you do.